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Lord_Guinness
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2009 6:25 pm
Posts: 7
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:15 pm 
 

Oxymoron - pl, ... contradictory terms that are used in conjunction.

The term Melodic Death Metal really pisses me off. Death Metal is generally accepted as loud, noisy and brash, as in zero-to-little melody (we all love a catchy riff now and then). How can something so un-harmonious as Death Metal be labelled 'Melodic'?

Why not 'metal-lite'?

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redeemerofchaos
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 11:14 pm
Posts: 42
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:18 pm 
 

Doesn't even sound like death metal just some progressive symphonic blahblah nu metal shit.

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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
Posts: 35177
Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:18 pm 
 

All Death Metal has melody. Melody doesn't just mean sounding like Power Metal, you know.
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zervyx
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2004 9:21 pm
Posts: 185
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:20 pm 
 

Seems to me that the tag goes for death metal songs that are more melodic than the average death metal. so... it does make sense. However the term has been used so widely and wrong that some of the new "melodic death metal" just doesnt have any death metal anymore. Then you have that.. melodeath.


Last edited by zervyx on Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Nyaricus
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:52 pm
Posts: 1214
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:20 pm 
 

People, don't feed the troll.

Just, move along...

----------------
Now playing: Borknagar - Matter and Motion
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Lord_Guinness
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2009 6:25 pm
Posts: 7
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:44 pm 
 

Nyaricus wrote:
People, don't feed the troll.

Just, move along...

----------------
Now playing: Borknagar - Matter and Motion



Excuse me for starting a new topic. I'll ask for your permission next time.

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ForNaught
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2006 5:37 pm
Posts: 1093
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:49 pm 
 

The term would only be oxymoronic were death metal to be defined by a lack of melody. Not only is this not the case, but it generally doesn't lack for melody either. See: Empyreal's post. He is correcting what is a frequent mistake, for some obscure reason.
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ENKC
Veteran

Joined: Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:28 pm
Posts: 2711
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 8:41 pm 
 

Have you heard any melodic death metal? I know Arch Enemy seem to be held beneath contempt by a lot of people here, but I love them and their songs are all about guitar melodies. You'd also be hard pressed to say it isn't death metal, even though it's a different style. Which is of course the point of the style having it's own name and identity.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
Posts: 35177
Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 8:44 pm 
 

ENKC wrote:
Arch Enemy


Would be a fucking ace band if they didn't have that awful broad on the vocals. Seriously, what the hell?
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cultofkraken
Veteran

Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2005 1:18 am
Posts: 3013
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 9:33 pm 
 

Empyreal wrote:
ENKC wrote:
Arch Enemy


Would be a fucking ace band if they didn't have that awful broad on the vocals. Seriously, what the hell?


They died for me after the first 3. Only Johan Axelsson era is real, how could anyone get rid of the ex Furbowl and Carnage vocalist for some unknown German chick? obviously all about the cash and Amott's dick. Oh well.
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ENKC
Veteran

Joined: Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:28 pm
Posts: 2711
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 9:43 pm 
 

Well, Liiva was apparently becoming so drug-addled that he was a liability. They needed a replacement, and as it happens I quite like Angela. No, not just for 'teh hawtness'. But really, the glorious heaviness of the production on their guitar tone and the harmonies between the Amott brothers, plus Erlandsson's drumming make it all worthwhile for me. Man, the new album with re-recordings from the Liiva era is going to stir a hornet's nest of controversy, that's for sure.

As this relates to the thread however, how can you take a song such as "The Day You Died" for example, and not see that it's both highly melodic and death metal.
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White_Witch
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 9:53 pm
Posts: 196
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 9:47 pm 
 

ENKC wrote:
Have you heard any melodic death metal? I know Arch Enemy seem to be held beneath contempt by a lot of people here, but I love them and their songs are all about guitar melodies. You'd also be hard pressed to say it isn't death metal, even though it's a different style. Which is of course the point of the style having it's own name and identity.


Honestly, it's not hard to say they aren't death metal at all, because they aren't. (Unless their early stuff is different to what they've been pushing since around 2002. I only know what I've heard on radio.)
Those bands are more like groove/post thrash with harsh vocals. They share far more in common with a band like Pantera than death metal.

All music is technically melodic. The only way to not be, would be to only use one note per song. Even a drum roll is melodic, considering that drums make a note.

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ScratchMyBack
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Aug 17, 2008 11:04 am
Posts: 1058
Location: Malaysia
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 9:59 pm 
 

I don't care if you guys call it oxymoronic or whatever weird words, I like it so I listen to it. If you don't like ot, fine, don't listen to it.
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cultofkraken
Veteran

Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2005 1:18 am
Posts: 3013
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:07 pm 
 

ENKC wrote:
Well, Liiva was apparently becoming so drug-addled that he was a liability. They needed a replacement, and as it happens I quite like Angela. No, not just for 'teh hawtness'. But really, the glorious heaviness of the production on their guitar tone and the harmonies between the Amott brothers, plus Erlandsson's drumming make it all worthwhile for me. Man, the new album with re-recordings from the Liiva era is going to stir a hornet's nest of controversy, that's for sure.

As this relates to the thread however, how can you take a song such as "The Day You Died" for example, and not see that it's both highly melodic and death metal.


I don't like Angela's vocals at all. That being said musically the newer stuff is quite good. I still think their best album is Stigmata, and that to me is a fine example of Melodic Death Metal.

I also think the Nonexist album Liiva did post Arch Enemy is better than anything AE has done since he left. But maybe that's just me.
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Muhammadabbadabba
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Dec 31, 1969 8:00 pm
Posts: 1306
Location: R'lyeh
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:15 pm 
 

Melodic Death Metal is actually my preferred variant of the genre. Though I do like Autopsy's Mental Funeral as well as a few Cannibal Corpse albums (though NOT their highly acclaimed "Bloodthirst." That's GROSSLY overrated).

On topic, I ultimately preferred Arghoslent to Arch Enemy. Though my favorite Melodeath act is definitely In Flames.

As far as Gossow is concerned, her faux-toughness chic does get irritating after awhile. Speaking of her...someone posted this in the chans not too long ago. It's apparently scanned from an issue of Kerrang! Is this her?

WARNING: NSFW.
http://fapomatic.com/show.php?loc=0906& ... 145369.jpg

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discouraged
Metal newbie

Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2007 4:46 am
Posts: 105
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:22 pm 
 

Insomnium. Melodic death metal!

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MaDTransilvanian
Caravan Beyond Redemption

Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2007 12:56 pm
Posts: 3789
Location: Romania
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:23 pm 
 

redeemerofchaos wrote:
Doesn't even sound like death metal just some progressive symphonic blahblah nu metal shit.


Most retarded comment in a long time here. Good job, you're an idiot.

On a less depressing note, melodic death metal is just that. Take the base of death metal such as the debut albums from At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity and In Flames and add melody to them, and you have melodic death metal. And it's good music.

Cool a pic of Angela Gassow topless. Not much more to say about it except for the value of seeing her topless though, meh.

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Muhammadabbadabba
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Dec 31, 1969 8:00 pm
Posts: 1306
Location: R'lyeh
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:30 pm 
 

MaDTransilvanian wrote:
Cool a pic of Angela Gassow topless. Not much more to say about it except for the value of seeing her topless though, meh.


Yes, now all the Hot Topiccore kids can fap and fantasize about spilling much of their worthless genetics all over her face.

Oh, yes. There will be cum.

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Shutdown
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 2:20 pm
Posts: 2078
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:07 pm 
 

ENKC wrote:
You'd also be hard pressed to say it isn't death metal, even though it's a different style.

You couldn't be further from the truth. Next to no death metal elements make it through to this band. It's nothing but melodic metal with harsh vocals.

MaDTransilvanian wrote:
On a less depressing note, melodic death metal is just that. Take the base of death metal such as the debut albums from At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity and In Flames and add melody to them, and you have melodic death metal. And it's good music.

The base of death metal such as the debut albums from Dark Tranquility and In Flames? These albums aren't in any way, shape or form the base of death metal. How did you even come to this conclusion? I think you've been listening to the wrong bands.

And you were the guy who said the following:
MaDTransilvanian wrote:
redeemerofchaos wrote:
Doesn't even sound like death metal just some progressive symphonic blahblah nu metal shit.
Most retarded comment in a long time here. Good job, you're an idiot.

Metal Archives. Bloody hell.

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ENKC
Veteran

Joined: Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:28 pm
Posts: 2711
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:20 pm 
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p-Xef9TzM4

It seems reasonable to regard it as a form of death metal to me. It certainly originated as an offshoot.
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Gif logos are a rare and special thing. They should be reserved only for truly exceptional and rare and special and important bands, bands like Blind Guardian and... Blind Guardian. This should be in the rules.

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praey
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:33 am
Posts: 925
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:01 am 
 

I don't think anyone's disputing the fact that melodeath is a form of death metal, but the point is that some bands (i.e. newer Arch Enemy) are so far removed from death metal it's like what shutdown said, just melodic metal with harsh vocals.

Honestly melodic death metal to me is really little more than the transitionary stage between today's metalcore and the death metal of the late 80's and early 90s. Sure, there are some great original melodeath albums, but look at bands like In Flames who basically watered down the death metal sound with their catchy melodies and eventual incorporation of clean vocals. Look at how At the Gates simplified their approach for Slaughter of the Soul and look at all the metalcore bands who were influenced by it.

Sure, there's still some good melodeath out there today (Insomnium and The Absence spring to mind), and a lot of the other stuff is still decent, but to me the vast majority is just a watered down offshoot of death metal. Less fast, less brutal, and just less exciting in general.

That being said, I wouldn't say "melodic death metal" isn't an oxymoron by any means - the base of the genre is to take the core death metal sound, add simple melodic riffs and replace the death growls with raspy shouting and there you go.

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